For the first time, the British Council’s international higher education conference, Going Global, the world’s leading open event for leaders of international education comes to Africa. More than 1000 members of the international community of academics, leaders and professionals will debate the most pressing issues around higher- and further education when they convene in Cape Town in May next year.
Delegates from across the world will debate the theme of ‘Building nations and connecting cultures’. In its 12th consecutive year, Going Global is the world’s leading open event through which international leaders and decision makers in higher education and further training seek collaborative solutions and shape education policy, economic development and engagement.
"We are extremely proud to host Going Global 2016 in Africa; we cannot wait to welcome colleagues from around the world in Cape Town. This is the first occasion Going Global comes to African soil and will confirm the regions’ importance in the global world of producing top human capital. It will focus on a topic of global relevance but with a distinct regional angle and look at how education can and should play a role in building nations and strengthening social systems, especially in developing economies. It will hopefully make an invaluable contribution to furthering higher education issues not only on the continent but across the world.” says Mandy Johnson, Regional Director, British Council, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Going Global provides an open forum for international leaders, thinkers and doers in the higher education sector to debate current issues and to discuss collaborative solutions. Not only will it be the first time Going Global is hosted by an African country but also the biggest ever higher education conference to be held in Africa, the continent with the youngest population which will drive need for higher education opportunities in the future.
“Universities naturally work across national and territorial boundaries and provide a framework for wider international academic exchange. They act as conduits for talent, attracting students, lecturers and researchers from across the world and it is within this context that Going Global 2016 will explore the relationship between nation building, internationalisation in higher education and the increased emphasis on tertiary education in international development cooperation,” says Dr Jo Beall, Director Education and Society and member of the Executive Board for the British Council and former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town.
Going Global 2016 will examine non-compulsory education and how higher education can play a role in addressing global as well as regional issues. It will discuss issues, approaches and solutions through the following lenses:
- Education policy: local priorities, national systems and global drivers.
- Economic development: skills, enterprise, research and innovation.
- Engagement: democracy, social justice and international relations
Registration for delegates will open in January 2016. http://www.britishcouncil.org/going-global/registration